Cartridge-box.



Nu. mm mm M. \4, mm.

F. M. GARLAND.

CARTRIDGE BOX.

(Application filed July 7, 1899.)

'(No Model.)

Witnesses. M" I F Invsntor. Q. 5w a W J M fines. 9' 14 Egg? N Attorney- ATENT v FRANK M. GARLAND, OF NE\V HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

CARTRIDGE-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,978, dated November 14, 1899. Application filed July 7,1899. Serial No. 723,012. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. GARLAND, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cartridge-Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to cartridge-boxes,and has for its object the construction of a carridge-box which will hold a number of cartridges in a plurality of columns and to provide mechanism that is adapted to present the several cartridges in each column to the single-delivery outlet by force of their own weight, thereby obviating the use of many complicated parts.

It is a further object of my invention. to so design the several parts that they can be cheaply and easily manufactured and assembled, thus reducing the cost of the completed article to the minimum.

To these ends my invention consists of the cartridge-box having certain details of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a view of a cartridge-box attached to the body of a gun. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View upon line A B of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation upon line C D of Fig. 4:. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation upon line E F of- Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the inner pocket or cell.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the casing, which is preferably a thin shell Open at either end; 2 2, covers having flanges 3 3, which overlap the sides of the casing and retain it thereon, whereby the said covers form closures for the said open ends. One side of the bottom of the casing is cut away, as shown in Fig. 3, to form an outlet-aperture, and when not attached to the gun-body this aperture is closed by the slide 4, the inner edgeof which is supported by the projecting lip 5 and the outer end by the integral hook 6, which is sprung into the hole 7 in one side of the casing. The ring 8 hangs loosely upon the hook and is designed to facilitate the operation of drawing the slide out from its seat.

The particular form and construction of the casing may be varied indefinitely, and therefore I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact construction shown and described.

Suspended within the casing upon the rod 9, which is housed in the integral lugs 10 10, is an inner shiftable pocket or cell 11, which is formed, preferably, of thin sheet metal, open at the top and bottom, and its height being much less than that of the casing 1, thereby leaving an open unobstructed space between its bottom edge and the bottom of the casing, for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

The numeral 12 designates the actuating tongue or lever, which is hung upon the rod 9 at its upper end and projects downwardly nearly to the bottom of the casing, and the angle of its face being such that it only binds against the bottom cartridge in the column, leaving a clearance between its face and all of the remaining cartridges, as shown in Fig.

This is designed so as to reduce the friction upon the cartridges to a minimum and insure a positively-actuated device.

The necessary and exact amount of friction can be obtained by inserting and varying the strength of the spring 13, which bears at its center against the back of the tongue and encircles the rod 9 at either end, terminating in straight ends 13, which bear against the inside of the casing.

A vertical corrugation 14 is made in one side of the pocket or cell 11, within which is hung the tongue 12, the tops 15 of the corrugation forming a guide for the cartridges.

The construction described and shown provides for two cells in the cartridge-box, one being Within the pocket or cell 11 and the other without, between the said pocket or cell and the inside of the casing. is loaded by placing cartridges in these cells one above the other, they occupying the relative positions shown by the broken lines in the several figures, and the first column of cartridges being directly over the outlet-aper- The cartridge-box ture, with the tongue 12 held against the lowest cartridge in this column (see Fig. 3) by the spring 13.

To sustain the weight of the pocket or cell in its normal position, I have provided a locking-pin 16, which is pivotally secured to the tongue 12 by the pintle 17, the forward end being operative within areeess 18 in the casing 1. \Vhen the tongue 12 is in the position shown in Fig. 3, the locking-pin 16 is within the recess 18 and sustains the weight of the pocket or cell; but when the tongue assumes the position shown in Fig. 1 the locking-pin is withdrawn from the said recess and the pocket or cell swings to its discharging position upon the rod 9.

Upon one side of the casing 1 and the pocket or cell 11 are secured the guide-bars 19 20, which are preferably directly opposite the corrugation 1% in the side of the said pocket or cell and are designed to reduce the width of the cells at that point to accommodate the reduced portion of the cartridge and prevent lateral displacement thereof.

There are many ways that can be devised to attach the cartridge-box to the body of the gun, the one I have illustrated here consisting of a hook 21, secured to the gun-body 24, and projecting pins or studs 22, secured to the sides of the box and which are adapted to fit into the said hook when the box is placed in position, the lower end of the box being supported by a bracket 23.

The operation of myinvention is as follows: The two cells are first loaded with cartridges, as before described, the slide 4 placed in position, and the boX attached to the gun-body. When it is desired to deliver the cartridgesin the box to the firing mechanism, the slide 4 is withdrawn, and the cartridges in the cell immediately above the outlet'aperture drop by gravity therethrough upon the bracket 23, and are thence conveyed into the firing mechanism. As the last cartridge in this cell, .which was the uppermost one originally, passes through the outlet-apertu re the tongue 12, which has been constantly held against the bottom cartridge, is released and drops over against the inside of the casing 1, as shown in Fig. 1, withdraws the locking-pin 16, and allows the pocket or cell 11, with its column of cartridges, to swing upon the rod 9, thus bringing the lower open end of the said pocket or cell almost directly over the outlet-aperture. The cartridges in this cell are now discharged through the outlet-apertu re solely by their own weight, as in the case of those in the first column.

When all of the cartridges have been discharged from the box, the slide 4 is inserted and the box removed to be again loaded, as before.

I prefer to attach the cartridge-box to the body of the gun at an angle thereto, as shown in Fig.1, so that the cartridges will roll'upon an inclined surface and the tongue 12 be operated by the weight of the cartridges in the pocket or cell 11.

It is apparent that there are many minor changes and alterations that can be made within my invention, and I would therefore have it understood that I do notliinit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, but claim all that falls fairly within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a cartridge-box, the combination with a hollow casing having an outlet-aperture therethrough,of means for holding a plurality of rows of cartridges therein, the said means consisting of partitions, pivotally secured to and inclosed within said casing and actuated directly by gravity, whereby the columns of cartridges are severally presented to the said aperture, substantially as described.

2. In a cartridge-box having an outlet-apertu re and adapted to hold a plurality of parallel rows of cartridges separated by intervening partitions, means for locking the said partitions, and means for automatically releasing the said partitions when the space beneath the same is emptied, whereby the said partitions may be moved to a position registering with the said aperture, substantially as described.

3. In a cartridge-box, the combination with a casing having an outlet-aperture, of means for retaining a plurality of rows of cartridges therein, and means for releasing said retaining mechanism, whereby each successive row of cartridges is presented to the outlet-aperture after the preceding row has been discharged, substantially as described.

4. In a cartridge-box, the combination with a casing having an outlet-aperture therethrough, of means for dividing the interior of said box into cells, one of said cells being directly over the said aperture, and means for pivotally securing the remaining cells within said casing so that the outlet thereof may be brought into register with the said aperture, substantially as described.

5. In a cartridge-box adapted to hold a plurality of rows of cartridges, the combination with a hollow easing having an outlet-aperture therethrough, of an inner pocket or cell, pivotally secured within the said casing out ofalinement with the said aperture, and means for releasing the said pocket or cell, which released cell is adapted to swing upon its pivot-mountings and substantially register with the said outlet-aperture, substantially as described.

6. In a cartridge-box, the combination with a casing, of a pivotally-secured inner pocket or cell, means for locking the said pocket or cell to the said outer casing when in its normal position, and means for releasing the said I locking mechanism, whereby the said pocket or cell is permitted to swing from its normal position, substantially as described.

7. In a cartridge-box adapted to hold a plurality of rows of cartridges, the combination with a hollow casing having an outlet-aperture therethrough, of a slide for closing the said aperture, pivotally-secured separating partitions within said casing, mechanism for locking said partitions and means for releasing said locking mechanism before the cell contents are discharged, substantially as described.

8. In a cartridge-box, the combination with a casing having an outlet-aperture therethrough, of a pocket or cell pivotally secured within the said casing and dividing the interior of said easing into a plurality of cells, each cell being adapted to contain a row of cartridges, retaining mechanism for holding the said pocket or cell against movementwhile the preceding cell is being emptied, and means for releasing the said retaining mechanism, whereby the position of the said cell is shifted, by gravity, after the last cartridge from the preceding cell has been discharged, substantially as described.

9. In a cartridge-box designed to hold a plurality of rows of cartridges therein, the combination with a casing, of means for dividing the interior of said casing into two or more cells, within which the said rows of cartridges are inserted, the said cells while loaded being secured substantially parallel with each other, and means for releasing the cell-divisions, whereby the said cells are permitted to shift within the said casing, the said mechanism being controlled by the bottom cartridge in the preceding cell, substantially as described.

10. The combination with a casing having an outlet-aperture therethrough, of a pivotally-secured inner pocket or cell, locking mechanism for securing said pocket or cell while loaded, and an actuating tongue or lever for releasing the said locking mechanism, substantially as described.

11. The combination in a cartridge-box of a hollow casing, a pocket or cell pivotally secured therein, an actuating tongue or lever, and a locking-bar actuated by said tongue or lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK M. GARLAND. V itnesses:

GEORGE E. HALL, HENRY F. LEONARD. 

